JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Soldiers with the 63rd Ordnance Company run operations to support the logistical supply for all types of munitions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON — Operations in Marjah, Afghanistan, are transitioning from the clearing to the holding phase, as today’s turnover of the government center there marks a symbol of progress, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.

DIYALA, Iraq – Helicopters hovering overhead may be a common sight for Soldiers in Iraq these days, but for those in 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and their Iraqi Army partners, watching the skies on Feb. 17 provided a dramatic effect.

DIYALA, Iraq – Classrooms in the Khalis Secondary School have been bustling during the first two weeks of February. The traffic has not been from the students most people would expect for the school, but rather from a dedicated team of about 40 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 23 Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Soldiers of the 66th Military Police Company graduated their first class of 36 Iraqi policemen from a five-day election security class here Feb. 4.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRAH, Iraq – “Your reports are a big factor to conducting operations. The information that you provide is essential to getting help to a wounded Soldier or getting support to troops under attack, so it’s vital that those reports be precise,” said Sgt. Michael E. Mullins, 14th Division Military Transition Team, U.S. Marines Corps.

BAGHDAD — When eight combat veterans volunteered to return to Iraq, they knew they would be interacting with troops, answering questions about their injuries, their experiences and their new lives as wounded warriors. They were ready.

BAGHDAD – Soldiers from 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, rolled two handcrafted wheelchairs up a worn road and into the foyer of a small building before a Feb. 10 sheikh council meeting in the Aqur Quf area.

DIYALA, Iraq – “This is way easier than my last deployment,” said Sgt. George Applegate, a fire team leader for 2nd Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, while pulling security beside his Stryker vehicle that was staged next to the headquarters of the Iraqi Police’s 7th Battalion Emergency Reaction Force in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on the night of Jan. 31.

BASRAH PROVINCE, Iraq – U.S. military leaders returned four camps to the government of Iraq in the country’s southern region, Jan. 30.

NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – The clock is crucial when treating serious injuries.

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, completed the transfer of two M-777 Howitzers from Kandahar Air Field to Forward Operating Base Price Jan. 16.

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Every week hundreds of letters and packages come into the Kandahar Airfield Post Office from family, friends and supporters of 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers to help close the distance between the pains of deployment and the comforts of home.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRAH, Iraq – “Nothing seemed different; it was just like any other time that we went out. I was scanning my area, up, down, side-to-side, just as I’ve been taught. We pulled in to the area and everything seemed as it had on so many other occasions, until,” said a gunner as he recalled the day he was hit with a Molotov cocktail, an event that resulted in him receiving the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

BAGHDAD – A 20-foot high dune rises from the sand at Contingency Operating Location Justice, partially masking the bustling life of Baghdad in the distance.

JOINT SECURITY STATION TARMIYAH, Iraq — On the rooftop of a courthouse, Sgt. Randy Leverett, a gunner with 1st Platoon (Red Plt.), Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, held the scope of his M-4 to his right eye and slowly scanned the streets and windows of buildings below, looking for a glint in a window, or anything out of the ordinary.

DIYALA, Iraq – The holiday season in the United States is a popular time for donating and reaching out to less fortunate families. However, for U.S. Soldiers stationed in Iraq, the giving season extends to all year round.

DIYALA, Iraq — Innovative technology has inspired people around the world to change their lifestyles. Modes of transportation and the transfer of information, have evolved over the past 10 years.

Photo Gallery